Friday, February 26, 2010

Vending Machine Choices

What brings anyone to a vending machine in the first place - at a base level it is a desire for a good feeling. If you were physically hungry - then the good feeling is your attempt to return to feeling satisfied. If you were emotionally hungry then the desire is to feel less stress, more good feeling. Is a Snicker's Bar something that feels good? It can be... in the moment. I can't read your mind. The good feeling content isn't stamped on the package like a nutritional panel... but it is emblazoned in your mind's eye. It is how you determine what you would rather have. If you were choosing between a bag of potato chips and a snickers bar; which would you prefer? Which one sounds better to you? The one you pick when you plunk your money in the machine and press the corresponding letter and number is the one you have identified as giving you the most good feeling. If it isn't the one that is your favorite - example you are picking the trail mix bar instead of the Twix in an effort to make a healthier choice - then that suggests you are at one starting point. If you are picking your favorite candy from all the ones available, then you are at a slightly different starting point. Which one is better? Well, they are both fine, but neither will help the elevator descend.

It is a little known secret that there is no such thing as a good vending machine choice. Every nickel you drop into a vending machine is like you are paying yourself not to lose weight. If you really want a good feeling then there is probably a much more decadent choice that isn't in the vending machine.

Some of these decadent choices are edible. Others, like getting a massage or buying a bouquet of flowers feed your body without getting stored as fat.

What is your favorite dessert? Not just your favorite junk food but your favorite dessert? Odds are slim that it is readily available in the vending machine. I like See's Chocolate Chip Truffles, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and warm chocolate croissants. None of which are to be found in any vending machine I have ever stumbled upon.

If you were choosing the healthier option - that is great, but a piece of fresh fruit or raw vegetable would make the elevator descend even faster.

If you eat food from the vending machine at your work, then imagine putting the vending machine money into something that could help you lose weight easily and effortlessly. Plunk your spare change into a jar that is called, "Love and Good Feelings".